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    Please contact DSM with any additional questions at comgradstudies@kennesaw.edu

     

    APPLICATION DEADLINES

    • July 1 to begin fall semester
    • November 1 to begin spring semester

     

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    Best Online Master's CommunicationGet started on your future!

    Earning a graduate level certificate from Kennesaw State's School of Communication & Media is a wise investment in your future. The skills and experiences you gain will enhance your earnings and job advancement opportunities.

    The Graduate Certificate in Digital & Social Media (DSM) is perfect for professionals who are new to the social media market, those looking for career advancement, or those who just need to be fluent in platforms and applications.

    • The fully online DSM Certificate is designed to meet the needs of working professionals seeking advancement, career changes, or those wanting to expand their knowledge by entering a new career field. DSM is a 12 credit hour, four course program. We offer classes in the fall and spring in a seven week session so you never have more than one class at a time.

    • Affordable Colleges Online Rankings has ranked DSM Best Online Communication Programs (38th nationally). As a newer program we are very proud of this ranking and hope to continue in the coming years.

    • eTuition rate is listed here.

    • DSM is a 12 credit hour, four course program. We offer classes in the fall and spring in a seven week session so you never have more than one class at a time. Take any four classes in any order.

      COM 6100 - Survey of Digital and Social Media Theory and Concepts
      Prerequisite: Acceptance to KSU graduate-student status.
      This course examines theory and concepts relevant to social media. Along with emerging digital and social media theory, this course also explores the connection between foundations of media and communication as they apply to current situations, techniques, and trends. Students produce graduate-level research that expands the scholarly discourse in this area.

      COM 6200 - Digital Media Law
      Prerequisite: Admission to certificate program or permission of the instructor.
      This course provides an in-depth examination of the existing legal structure within which digital and social media operates, and the antecedent statutory and case law through which this structure has evolved. This course also addresses ethical concepts and considerations surrounding digital and social media. This course focuses on the First Amendment as it applies to free speech and the media, specific to online content.

      This course introduces students to different legal issues such as libel, disruptive speech, invasion of privacy, and copyright. It also teaches about different approaches to the First Amendment and how far freedom of speech and of the press goes in different legal scenarios. As a graduate course, students read several cases involving digital and social media. Students analyze texts and discuss the implication of law from theoretical and practical perspectives.

      COM 6410 - Digital Publication Design
      Prerequisite: Acceptance to KSU graduate-student status.
      This course explores the nature and role of publication design through a study of visual communication theory; historical development of design; use of color, photography and graphics; and the use of design software and tools, including cloud computing and Drop Box. Students learn to exercise control over messages through coordination of text, images, and strategic design. Graphic design software (Adobe Creative Suites InDesign and Photoshop) and other online tools are used to develop an understanding of visual communication strategies and skills to create publications for communication to internal and external organizational audiences.

      COM 6420 - Mobile Media Technologies
      This course introduces students to concepts connected with mobile media technology and with cyberculture, such as augmented reality, immersive worlds, and mobile learning and information design. Essentially this course critiques the basic theory and usability of social networking, mobile delivery, mobile content and technology, requiring you to engage and interact online.

      COM 6490 - Topics in Social Media
      Prerequisite: Graduate student standing
      This course offers theoretical and applied approaches to social media theory, strategies and tactics used by communication professionals. Semester topics will vary. Potential topics include: social media analytics, social media monitoring, content development, theoretical approaches to understanding social media, search engine optimization and other topics related to trends in social media and social media management. This course may be taken up to two times for a total of six credit hours.

      COM 6900 - Digital and Social Media Content Strategy
      Students plan and create an applied project that reflects best professional practices, theory and existing research on digital and social media. The project is shared with the professional community via social networks. Students also create a summary of supporting literature, and an implementation and evaluation plan.

      • Completed online graduate application
      • Official transcripts
      • Personal statement
      • TOEFL required for those without a degree from an English-speaking instituition

     

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